We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Green Bay Packers
- Re-signed: RB Tyler Ervin
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed: DB Ryan Smith
The Vikings are on the lookout for cornerback help and former Jets CB Darryl Roberts is on their radar, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press tweets. Ditto for Kevin Peterson, who was recently non-tendered by the Cardinals, according to Darren Wolfson of KSTP (on Twitter). 
Roberts, entering his fifth pro season, spent his entire career with the Jets up until his release last Saturday. The Vikings, who just watched Xavier Rhodes leave for the Colts, are among the teams with interest.
Roberts may not be a glamorous addition, but he would offer experience to the Vikes’ group. He’s got 56 appearances and 26 career starts to his credit, including 13 games and ten starts in 2019. He also had one of his best performances against the Vikings a couple years back – a career-high eleven tackles (with two tackles for a loss) in 2018.
The former seventh-round pick inked a three-year, $18MM deal with the Jets in March of last year. One year into it, the Jets’ new regime dropped him in order to save $6MM against the books.
This time around, Roberts figures to cost a bit less, and a one-year deal would probably make sense for both the player and the team that signs him.
The Eagles have exercised Zach Ertz‘s option for the 2021 season, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). No surprise here – he’s one of the league’s most skilled tight ends and the Eagles are expected to try for an even longer arrangement in the coming months. 
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For now, Ertz is slated to count for $8MM in 2020 and $8.25MM in 2021, the aforementioned option year. Given the advancement of the tight end market, and Ertz’s production, you can expect to see a sizable pay bump on the next pact.
Last year, Ertz racked up 88 catches for 916 yards and six touchdowns – an especially solid stat line given the Birds’ up-and-down season. In 2018, he notched career highs in just about every category with 116 receptions (also an NFL record for TEs), 1,163 yards, and eight touchdowns. A Pro Bowler in each of his last three seasons, Ertz has 525 grabs, 5,743 receiving yards, and 35 touchdowns to his credit across seven pro seasons. Meanwhile, he’s led the team in catches and receiving yards in each of the last four seasons.
Austin Hooper reset the tight end market earlier this month by signing a four-year, $42MM deal with the Browns that includes $18.5MM fully guaranteed. That deal, which topped the previous record held by Jimmy Graham, will likely be leapfrogged by Ertz.
On Friday, the Lions added a pair of linebackers to the pack. They’ve signed Reggie Ragland and Elijah Lee, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com and Justin Rogers of the Detroit News (Twitter links). 
Ragland, a 2016 second-round pick of the Bills under the Doug Whaley regime, was traded to the Chiefs in the summer of 2017. You may recall that Ragland was one of several Bills players to be jettisoned in that offseason – wide receiver Sammy Watkins, cornerback Ronald Darby, and quarterback Cardale Jones were all shipped out. He never played a down for the Bills due to his torn ACL, but he’s compiled 160 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one interception over the last two years for KC. When he turns 27 in September, he’ll suit up for his third NFL club.
Lee, a former seventh-round pick, has carved out a nice career for himself. In three years, Lee has appeared in 38 games and tallied 76 total stops.
Both ‘backers will join a retooled Detroit D, one that will forge ahead without longtime stalwart Darius Slay. While Slay starts a new chapter with the Eagles, the Lions will work to fortify their squad with the third- and fifth-round picks they received from Philly.
Before the Colts released Brian Hoyer last week, they discussed trading the veteran quarterback to the Patriots, the club that ultimately signed Hoyer once he was cut, as Stephen Holder of The Athletic writes. The conversations seemed to be at least somewhat serious in nature, as Holder reports trade compensation was discussed, but a deal never came together. Had New England acquired Hoyer, it would have been responsible for the rest of the three-year, $12MM contract Hoyer signed with Indianapolis in 2019. Instead, the Patriots inked Hoyer to a one-year, $1.05MM pact that includes up to $2MM in available incentives.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two South divisions:
- The Texans have been widely panned for the trade which sent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona and running back David Johnson to Houston, and the terms of Johnson’s contract aren’t going to make matters improve. Johnson, whose 2020 base salary of $10.2MM is already guaranteed, saw $2.1MM of his 2021 salary become fully guaranteed last Friday, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. The veteran back is scheduled to count for more than $11MM on the Texans’ salary cap in 2020 before that figure drops to $9MM in 2021.
- In other Texans contract news, linebacker Benardrick McKinney‘s $6MM base salary for 2020 is now fully guaranteed, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). McKinney, who inked a five-year, $50MM extension with Houston in 2018, previously had this year’s base salary guaranteed for injury only. The inside linebacker market has exploded since McKinney signed that pact, as his $10MM annual salary now ranks just 12th at the position.
- After making the biggest move in franchise history by signing Tom Brady to a free agent deal, the Buccaneers still have work to do in the upcoming draft. Tampa Bay still wants to find a pass-catching running back to work alongside Ronald Jones, while right tackle is also an an area that could be addressed, as Greg Auman of The Athletic writes. The Bucs did sign former Colts offensive lineman Joe Haeg as an option on the right side, but the 27-year-old has only started six total games in the past two seasons.
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LS Nick Moore
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: C Evan Brown
Detroit News
- Signed: WR Geremy Davis
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: WR Terry Godwin
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DT Daniel Ross
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: LB Christian Kuntz
Let’s take a closer look at the details of a few recently-signed free agent contracts:
AFC
- MyCole Pruitt, TE (Titans): One year, $2.5MM. $2.35MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com).
- Shilique Calhoun, DE (Patriots): One year, $1.5MM. $250K signing bonus (Twitter link via Pelissero).
- Dan Vitale, FB (Patriots): One year, $1.3MM. $100K signing bonus (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
NFC
- Sean Davis, S (Redskins): One year, $4MM. $2MM guaranteed (Twitter link via John Keim of ESPN.com).
- Seth Roberts, WR (Panthers): One year, $3.75MM (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of ESPN.com).
- Zach Kerr, DT (Panthers): Two years, $3MM. Unknown incentives available (Twitter link via Garafolo).
- B.J. Goodson, LB (Browns): One year, $2.4MM. $2.25MM guaraneed. $1.25MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
- Joe Haeg, T (Buccaneers): One year, $2.3MM. $1.5MM guaranteed. Up to $1MM available via playtime incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Cedric Ogbuehi, T (Seahawks): One year, $2.3MM. $500K guaranteed. $500K signing bonus (Twitter link via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com).
- Will Parks, S (Eagles): One year, $1.5MM. $1.375MM guaranteed. $375K signing bonus. Up to $125K in per-game roster bonuses (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Tajae Sharpe, WR (Vikings): One year, $1MM. $675K guaranteed. $175K signing bonus. Max value of $1.5MM (Twitter link via Pelissero).
- Sharrod Neasman, S (Falcons): One year, $950K. $40K signing bonus. Veteran salary benefit (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Joe Walker, LB (49ers): One year, $900K. Max of $75K in per-game roster bonuses (Twitter link via Wilson).
The Vikings have agreed to re-sign interior offensive lineman Brett Jones to a one-year, $910K deal, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link).
Minnesota acquired Jones from the Giants in 2018 after he’d started 13 games for New York the previous season. With the Vikings, Jones has been almost exclusively a reserve, as he’s made only three starts (all in 2018). He was actually released last September to make room for wide receiver Josh Docston, but was re-signed shortly thereafter. Jones, 28, ultimately appeared in only two games in 2019 before being placed on injured reserve.
Jones reportedly wanted to test the free agent market in search of a starting role. Per Tomasson, the Cowboys — who recently lost center Travis Frederick to retirement — also expressed interest in Jones before he re-upped with the Vikings. Dallas has Joe Looney and Connor McGovern on hand as options to replace Frederick, but Jones could have had a shot as the Cowboys’ pivot, as well.
The 2020 NFL draft will not be rescheduled due to COVID-19 concerns, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). The league’s Management Council Executive Committee discussed the issue earlier today, and commissioner Roger Goodell subsequently sent a memo to teams indicating the committee “was unanimous and unequivocal that the Draft should go forward as scheduled on April 23-25, 2020.” Goodell’s full memo is available here.
At a time when most other professional sports leagues have hit pause on their respective seasons, the NFL has gone in a different direction. Of course, the NFL doesn’t have to worry about canceling an ongoing season of actual play. Instead, the NFL weighed whether to postpone last week’s free agent period before ultimately deciding to proceed, and have made a similar decision on the draft.
That’s not to say the NFL hasn’t made any changes due to the threat of COVID-19. The league canceled all pre-draft visits and has ordered all NFL teams to close down their facilities. And the draft itself won’t occur in a normal fashion. Selections will be broadcast from a studio setting with cut-ins from the headquarters of the teams on the clock, and all draft-related events scheduled to be held in Las Vegas have been canceled.
While Goodell announced the decision to proceed with the draft as a “unanimous” accord, reports have suggested some level of pushback on the part of NFL front offices. Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini of ESPN.com indicated earlier this week that NFL general managers had concerns there won’t be enough time for “player physicals, gathering psychological testing, [and] getting further verified information about the players.”
A reunion between Tom Brady and Antonio Brown already appeared unlikely, and Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians has now removed any doubt. Appearing on CBS Sports’ “Tiki and Tierney” show (Twitter link), Arians dispelled any notion that Brown would surface in Tampa Bay.
“Yeah, it’s not going to happen,” Arians said. “It’s just not going to happen. There’s no room and probably not enough money. But it’s just not going to happen. It’s not a fit here.”
When pressed on whether he’d consider Brown on a minimum salary deal, Arians again demurred. “No. I just know him and it’s not a fit in our locker room.”
Brown, of course, hasn’t played football since Week 2 of the 2019 regular season, but he’s been linked to Brady on multiple occasions. The former Patriots signal-caller reportedly objected when New England released Brown last season following recurring off-field issues, leaving the club devoid of on-field weapons.
Arians previously worked with Brown as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator from 2010-11. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, don’t necessarily need any help at wide receiver; the club already boasts arguably the NFL’s best pass-catching duo in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.